Vehicle spring suspension and drive



Jan. 7, 1941. F. FREEMAN VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION AND DRIVE Fil ed Jan. 21, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

8 ATTORNEY.

Jan. 7, 1941. F. L FREEMAN VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION AND DRIVE Filed Jan. 21, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. F/Vfi/wr A. F/FffMfiN.

& ATTORNEY.

Jan. 7, 1941. F. L. FREEMAN 2,227,443

VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION AND DRIVE Filed Jan: 21, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet 3 a I o 3 1N VENTOR. BY F7W7/v/r A. FfiHM/m d zATTORNEY.

Jan. 7, 1941. F. L. FREEMAN 2,227,448

VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION AND DRIVE Filed Jan. 21, 19258 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 m I INVENTOR. F/mw/r A; Wyn/1w Jan. 7, 1941. F. L. FREEMAN VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION AND DRIVE 5 Sheds-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 21, 1938 INVENTOR F'RHMfi/v.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to vehicles and particularly to vehicle spring suspensions.

An object of the invention is to mount the rear portion of a vehicle frame on two pairs of axles, 6 spaced longitudinally of said frame, and to transmit load to such axles through springs seated on bars bridging the axles, the bars having universal play relative to the axles to facilitate a relative angular movement of the axles for steering pur- 10 poses.

of swivel connection between a vehicle frame and. a member jointly carried by four wheels of the vehicle, such connection being substantially centered between the sills of the frame, and to transmit load from the sills to said wheels, independently of such swivel connection.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a somewhat diagrammatic top plan view of the chassis of the improved vehicle, showing the positions and paths of the various wheels, in exercising a steering control.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, partially in section on the line 2--2 of l ig. 3, showing particularly one of the bars bridged between the two driven axles to mount a leaf spring and transmit load from the same to Said axles.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the chassis, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, and showing particularly the provision for mounting the frame on and transmitting its load to said bars.

5 Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the chassis, partially in section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and illustrating the various load-transmitting and driving connections between the two driven axles.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the 50 line 5-5 of Fig. i, and particularly showing two change-speed gearings, and an interposed drum for housing a diiferential gearing driving both sets of change-speed gears.

Fig. 6 is a vertical elevational, sectional detail 55 of the parts forming a swivel or fifth wheel conrelation of the two axle housings and a change! nection between the frame and its running gear, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is an elevatlonal 'view, partly insectlon on the line 1-1 of Fig. 4, showing particularly the speed gearing carried by one thereof and adapted to vary the drive to both pairs of driven wheels.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional detail, taken on the line 8-4 of Fig. 7 and showing features of the connection between the rear axle housing and one of the axle-bridging bars. r

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the same, taken on the line 8-9 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional detail taken on the line Ill-40 of Fig. 7,,showing the mounting for the forward end of one of the axle-bridging bars.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic, top plan view slmilar to Fig. l, but showing an application of the invention to a trailer type of vehicle, as distinguished from the motorized vehicle shown in Fig. 1.

In these views, the reference character i designates a motor vehicle frame carried at its front end by an axle 2, the wheels 3 of which are swiveled, as is common, for steering purposes (see Fig. 1). The rearportion of the frame is mounted on front and rear pairs of wheels 4 and a, each having a driving axle section 6 (see Fig. 5). The outer portions of the sections 6 occupy tubular housings I, rigidly carried by and projecting oppositely laterally from front and rear gear housings, generally designated 3 and 9.

A single pair of leaf Springs iii transmit load from the frame to the four driven wheels and are mounted to afford the rear driven wheels, toether with their axle sections 6, housings i and the gear housing 9, a limited angular play relatively to the frame for steering purposes. Thus Said springs, which are upwardly bowed between their ends, seat freely on a pair of parallel bars H, upwardly channeled to hold the springs in place. The end portions of said bars are cylindrical and preferably tubular and lie beneath the housings 1. Each of said end portions is car- 1. The forward ends of the bars I I are pinned as indicated at 16 to the corresponding ball members I2, while the ball members l2 mounting the rear ends of said bars are free to slide on the cylindrical rear portions of said bars to afford the rear driven wheels and their axle assembly angular travel. Rearward angular movement of either end of the rear axle assembly is limited by stops I! at the rear ends of the bars H, such stops being preferably carried by plugs l8 screwthreaded into said ends. Forward angular movement of said assembly is limited by suitable stops l9 carried by the bars ll, hereinafter more fully described.

For transmitting load from the frame to the springs, a pair of brackets 29 are bolted or otherwise attached to the sills of the frame, and seat through saddle members 2| upon blocks 22. superposed on the mid portions of the springs, each block having a pair of depending plates 23, between which the leaves of the corresponding spring are snugly engaged.

To swivel the frame so that it may turn for steering purposes on the support established by the springs Hi, the blocks 22 are connected by an arched yoke 24, having its top portion disposed between the sides of the frame, and having rectangular portions 25 beneath said sides, which portions carry cylindrical trunnions 26 fitted in correspondingly shaped openings in the blocks 22 and retained therein by the heads of bolts 21 tapped into' the end faces of said trunnions. Above said yoke, a rigid connection is established between the sills of the frame by a heavy cross bar 28, which centrally rigidly carries a king bolt 29 rotatable in the yoke 24, (see Fig. 3) and preferably headed beneath the latter to maintain the same in a desired proximity to the cross bar. Also it is preferred to form the yoke and cross bar with circular enlargements 24a and 28a, centered at the bolt 29, assuring a swivel bearing of ample diameter, and anti-friction means may be interposed between said enlargements, such as the set of balls 30 illustrated (see Figs. 3 and 4). It is preferred to further interconnect said yoke to the frame by forming each bracket 20 with a. pair of depending extensions 3| beneath the frame, the corresponding portion 25 of the yoke being positioned between such extensions and the latter being rigidly connected by a plate 32 engaged beneath such portion 25. The brackets 20 thus form connections, additional to the bolt 29. between the frame and yoke 24, the paired extensions 3| being, however, spaced apart adequately to afford the frame its desired swivel movement about the bolt 29, as best appears in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 also discloses how the brackets 20 are adapted to swing with the frame, for steering purposes, about the axis established by the bolt 29 by forming certain faces 33 of said brackets and saddle members with arcuate curvatures centered at said axis. a

The gears housings 8 and 9 are similar as regards their respective formation of two changespeed gear chambers 34 and a differential gearing chamber 35 between the chambers 34, and the illustration of the housing 8 in Fig. 5, showing said chambers and the gears therein, is for practical purposes, illustrative also of the gear housing 9. Referring to Fig. 5, the chamber 35 accommodates a diiferential gear casing or drum 36, rotatively mounted on adjoined end portions of two aligned shafts 3'! and adapted to drive the latter through any suitable arrangement of differential gears (not shown), housed within said drum, as for example, the arrangement shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,070,569. The shafts3'l are upwardly spaced from the axle sections 6, and each such shaft may drive the underlying axle section through either of two meshed pairs of gears 38 and 39 occupying the corresponding chamber 34. Said gears are, of course, adapted to establish different drive ratios, selective by the shifting of clutch collars 40, one of which is splined on each shaft 31 between the two gears on such shaft. Preferably the collars 40 on the aligned shafts are controlled in common by mounting shifter yokes 4! for said collars on aligned slide rods 4i! projecting into the chamber 35 and connected within the latter by links 43 to a suitable control rod 44, slidable longitudinally of the vehicle. Preferably a connection 45 between the rods 44 carried by the housings 8 and 9 adapts such rods for actuation in unison.

The drums 36 which house the front and rear differential gearings carry the usual beveled ring gears 46, driven by pinions 41 (see Figs. 5 and 7). Said pinions are fixed on shafts 48 and 480., the axle housing 9 having a forward extension 49 journaling the shaft 48a, and the shaft 48 being journaled in the upper portion of a change-speed gear casing 59, rearwardly projecting from the mid portion of the axle housing 8. A shaft 5|, operating in a torque tube 52, establishes a drive connection between the shafts 48 and 48a, suitable universal joints 53 being provided at the junctures of said tube with the extension 49 and casing 56, and said shafts being universally joined interiorly of the joints 53.

The casing houses two pairs of gears 54, 54a and 55, 55a, providing alternative drives to the shaft 48 from an underlying shaft 56 journaled in and forwardly projecting from said casing. A clutch collar 51, splined on the shaft 48 between the gears 54 and 55, is adapted in a wellknown manner to establish either thereof in driving engagement with said shaft. A shifter yoke 58, suitably pivoted within the casing 50, engages the collar 51 and is actuable by a lever 59, exteriorly mounted on said casing, to establish the collar in either of its driving positions or a neutral one. A rod 60 for actuating the lever 59 extends forwardly from the latter to any desired point of control.

A motor 6|, carried in any suitable manner by the front portion of the frame I, transmits a drive to the shaft 56 through a shaft 62, mounted in the usual torque tube 63, the usual concentric universal joints 64 being provided at each end of the torque tube and shaft therein and the usual change-speed (or transmission) gearing (not shown) being housed, as indicated at 65, in rearward proximity to the engine to transmit selective speeds to the shaft 62.

To transmit thrust from the housing 9 to the housing 8, inforward travel of the vehicle and a reverse thrust in rearward travel, the two said housings are connected by a pair of heavy diagonal rods 66, occupying a freely crossed relation, whereby said rods jointly have substantially an X form, their crossing being arranged at a point substantially beneath the fifth wheel axis established by the king bolt 29. The joints 6'! between said rods and the housings 8 and 9 afford a relative universal pivotal play between the rods and housings, the ends of the rods engaging each housing being located by such joints equidistantly from a plane medial to the housing ends. To permit said rods to normally occupy the same horizontal plane and also allow the described crossed till sesame 3 relation, one of said" rods comprises, at its mid portion, an open-sided box-shaped member 63 through which the other rod freely passes, the opening of the member 58 being adequate in size to afford the intended relative angular or vertical play of the rods without mutual interference.

A pairof radius rods 69, connected to the tubular end portions 1 of the axle housing 8, extend convergently forward and are welded or otherwise rigidly secured at their forward ends to the front end portion of the torque tube 63.

In rearward travel of the described vehicle, it is not feasible to exercise a steering control of relative angular play between the leading and trailing rear wheels without undue complication, and it is preferred therefore to provide for locking said wheels against any such play, at least in a horizontal plane, preliminary to rearward travel of the vehicle. Thus, pivoted upon and straddling each bar H, is a heavy latch member II, adapted to be swung about its pivots 12 from a non-latching, upstanding position shown in full lines in Fig. 7, to the rearwardly projecting, latching position shown in dash lines in said figure, said member having an arch form, adapting it to engage the side as well as the top of the corresponding bar II, in said dash line posia tion. In the latching position of the two members 1 I, said members terminally engage the rear ball members l2, and thus form struts resisting any forward sliding of said members l'2 on the bars ll. Consequently in the latching position of the members 11, the axle housing 9 and its wheels are restrained from any angular play relative to the frame or the axle housing 8. Any suitable provision may be made for an exercise of remote control over the latch members 1|. Thus, as illustrated, each of said members is engaged by a forwardly extending control rod 13, springs 14 being mounted on said rod at opposite sides of the corresponding member I2 to resist any tendency to rattle. It is preferred to form the stops i9, hereinbefore mentioned, as a pair of arcuate lugs formed on each latch member "it, at opposite sides of the corresponding bar it, said lugs being sospaced from the stops l'l, when the latch members are in their raised release positions, that the centers of ball members it are midway between said stops and lugs when the housing 9 is definitely transverse to the frame.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. ii, there is disclosed an application of the invention to a trailer, having the forward end of its frame 15 attached to a towing vehicle I6. The attaching means, indicated at TI, is of the usual fifth wheel and king bolt type, afi'ordlng swivel play for steering purposes. Any provision for driving the leading and trailing rear wheels, l8 and I9, is of course superfluous, but in other respects, the construction conforms quite closely to that illustrated in the remaining views and already fully described. Thus a pair of diagonally crossed rods interconnect the axle housings (or axles) 8| and 82 of the leading and trailing wheels, and are universally pivoted at 83 to said housings. The crossing point of said rods lies substantially beneath a king bolt 84 which swivelly mounts the frame, by means of a plate connecting the frame sills, upon an underlying cross member, supported at its ends upon a pair of bars 86 elongated in normal parallelism to the frame sills and bridging the housing 8| and 82 to transmit load thereto. The bars 86 are universally pivoted to said housings as indicated at 81 and the rear housing is slidable on said bars. It will be understood that load may be transmitted from the frame to the bars 86 as in the firstdescribed construction and that relative angular movement of the housings 8| and 82 may be limited as in the first-described construction.

In the operation of the described invention, in its first-described form, load is transmitted from the sills of the frame to the springs in through the brackets 20 and saddle members 2i, without imposing load stresses on the swivel seat afforded by the yoke 24 to the cross-bar 28. The leaf springs deliver such stresses to the bars ll, whence they are transferred substantially equally to'the two axle housings 8 and 9, and thence to the leading and trailing rear wheels of the vehicle.

Upon a change in the direction of travel of the vehicle, the frame I swivels about the king bolt 29, whereby the cross bar 28 assumes an acutely angular relation to the yoke 24 (see Fig. 1). This relative angular travel will be slight, and the spaced relation of the paired downward extensions 3| (best appearing in Figs. 2 and 4) is a sufllcient provision for the entailed movement of the yoke extremities. The leading rearwheels 4 will adjust themselves to the arc of road travel prescribed by steering control of the front wheels, and the trailing rear wheels 5 will also adjust themselves to such are, the axes of said wheels and the correspondinghousings thus assuming the angular relation to the frame illustrated in Fig. 1. As said housings thus swing, the rear ball members l2 will slide freely on the cylindrical rear portions of the bars II, and both the front and rear ball members l2 will rotate, as required, in their socket members I 3. Any extreme relative angularity between the housings 8 and 9 will be prevented by the ball members It abutting against the stops l1 and 19. The universally pivotal connections of the rods 66 to the axle housings allows said rods to adjust themselves to the relative angularity of such housings, while still exercising their thrust-transmitting func tion. The universally pivotal connect-ions established between the housings 8 and 9 and each of the bars H and 66 also serve to afford necessary relative vertical play of the front and rear axle housings, or angular play in a vertical plane of one thereof. The drive shaft 51 ahd its torque tube 52 will accommodate themselves to relative angular travel of the housings 8 and 9, owing to employment of the universal joints 53.

Eifecting a speed reduction of the transmitted drive, between the differential gearings and the driven wheels, reduces the stresses imposed on said gearings and permits use of lesser dimensions for said gearings than would be feasible if the common and more obvious practice were followed of effecting all desired speed reductions at a point or points between the motor and differential gearings.

The gears 54, 54a and 55, 55a provide for two selective variations of driving speed and the gears 38 and 39 afford two additional variations. Thus if within the usual change-speed gear casing 65, there is made the usual provision for three changes of speed in forward travel, the total number of differently geared forward drives available will be twelve, thus permitting the vehicle to be very closely adapted to different driving and load conditions. Furthermore, the provision of the several described successively acting speed-reducing gearings will permit of a much greater applicatior of tractive force when the aggregate reduction is a maximum, than has been heretofore afforded in vehicles serving a similar purpose, the available traction being further increased through application of a drive to both the leading and trailing rear wheels.

The weight added to that of the vehicle by the gears 38 and 39 and their casings tends materially to lower the center of gravity of the vehicle, as a whole, and consequently increases stability as compared to prior practice.

The construction shown in Fig. 11, operates similarly to that shown in the remaining views, except as regards the drive, and permits a trailer to readily adapt itself to changes in the direction of travel of the towing vehicle.

Both constructions provide for a substantially equal distribution of load to the two rear axles, while affording such,free relative vertical play of said axles or relative angular play thereof in a vertical direction, as may be entailed by projections or depressions in any surface traversed by the vehicle.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of said frame, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of framesupporting members bridging the end portions of said axles, means universally pivoting the end portions of said bridging members on the axles, said means ailording corresponding end portions of said members a sliding travel relative and substantially transverse to the axle supporting such corresponding portions and thus affording the axles a relative angular movement for steering purposes, and spring means mounting the rear portion of the frame upon said bridging members.

2. In a vehicle as set forth in claim 1, stops fixed upon said bridging members and coacting with the axle supporting said corresponding portions to predeterminedly limit said sliding travel and thereby limit relative angular movement of the axles.

3. In a vehicle as set forth in claim 1, a pair of stops fixed upon each of said corresponding end portions of the bridging members, one forwardly and the other rearwardly of the axle supporting said end portions and coacting with said axle to limit sliding travel of said end portions relative to such axle.

4. In a vehicle as set forth in claim 1, a pair of latch members respectively mounted upon the respective bridging members and adapted in their latched positions to resist relative sliding travel of the sliding end portions of the bridging members and the axle supporting such end portions.

5. In a vehicle as set forth in claim 1, a pair of latch members pivoted upon said bridging members and angularly movable from raised release positions to lowered latching positions to resist relative sliding of the bridging members relative to the axle in which said members are normally slidable.

6. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of said frame, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of members bridging the end portions of said axles, means universally pivoting the end portions of said bridging members on the axles, said means affording corresponding end portions of said members a. sliding travel relative and substantially transverse to the axle supporting such correspon portions, a pair of leaf springs respectively carried by the respective bridging members and means for mounting the rear portion of the frame on said leaf springs.

7. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of said frame one forwardly of the other, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of members bridging the end portions of said axles, means universally pivoting the forward end portions of said members on the forward axle, means universally pivoting the rear end portions of said bridging members on the rearmost axle, the last named means providing slideways to afford the rear end portions of said members a sliding travel relative and substantially transverse to the rearmost axle, and spring means mounting the rear portion of the frame upon said bridging members.

8. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of said frame, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a socket member carried by each end portion of each axle, a ball member mounted for universal rotation in each socket member, a pair of members bridged between the two axles and fixed in the ball members of one of the axles and slidable through the ball members of the other axle, whereby the axles are afforded relative angular play both vertically and horizontally, and spring means mounting the rear portion of the frame upon said bridging members.

9. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame having sills, extending one at each side thereof, two axles spaced longitudinally of said frame and supporting its rear portion, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of members bridging the end portions of the axles and extending approximately beneath the sills, a leaf spring carried by each bridging member and transmitting load thereto from the frame, members transmitting load from each sill to the adjacent spring, a yoke extending transversely of the frame and interconnecting the last mentioned members, and means swivelly mounting the frame upon the mid portion of said yoke, for steering purposes.

10. In a vehicle as set forth in claim 9, the last mentioned members having openings receiving end portions of the yoke and affording angular movement of the frame relative to said yoke for steering purposes.

11. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame having sills extending one at each side thereof, two axles spaced longitudinally of said frame and supporting its rear portion, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a. pair of members bridging the end portions of the axles and extending approximately beneath the sills, means transmitting load from the sills to the underlying bridging members, such means including brackets downwardly projecting from the sills, a yoke extending transversely of the frame, and interconnecting the load transmitting means associated with the two sills, and means swivelly mounting the frame on the midportion of said yoke, said brackets affording swivel steering movement of the frame relative to the yoke.

12. A .vehicle as set forth in claim 11, said load-transmitting means comprising elements, seating said brackets, and the brackets having guide ways for such elements afiording relative 7 angular trayel of the frame and said elements about the axis of the swivel connection between the frame and yoke.

13. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame. two axles spaced longitudinally of the frame, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of members bridging the end portions of said axles pivoted on the axles and of variable span to aflord the axles relative angular play in the direction of vehicle travel, spring means mounting the rear portion of the frame on said bridging members, and a pair of rodsgnterconnecting and universally pivoted to the axles, and occupying a freely crossed relation, one of said crossed rods having an opening in its midportion, through which the other freely extends.

14. A vehicle as set forth in claim 6, said bridging members being upwardly channeled and the leaf springs being downwardly bowed and having end portions fitted in the channels of the bridging members and thereby retained in proper loadtransmitting relation to the bridging members.

15. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame having sills extending one at each side thereof, two axles spaced longitudinally of said frame and supporting an end portion thereof, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of members bridging the end portions of the axles and extending approximately beneath the sills, said members affording the axles relative angular play, a downwardly bowed leaf spring carried by each bridging member and transmitting load to such member from the frame, a pair of brackets carried by the sills of the frame, and opposed transversely of the frame, a pair of members secured to the springs and transmitting load to the springs from the brackets, a yoke extending transversely of the frame and having end portions attached to said load-transmitting members, means swivelly mounting the frame on the midportion of said yoke, said brackets affording relative angular steering movement of the frame and yoke, and a thrust-transmitting connection between the axles, affording them a relative angular play in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

16. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of the frame, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of elongated members bridged between and universally pivoted on the end portions of the axles, means affording each of such members a sliding travel in the direction of its length, such means in conjunction with the universal pivoting of said members affording varying relative angularity of the axles, and spring means mounting the frame on the bridging members.

.17. A vehicle as set forth in claim 16, said spring means being leaf springs having ends seating freely on the bridging members and such ends being slidable longitudinally of such members upon flexure of such springs.

18. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of the frame, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of elongated members bridged between and universally pivoted on the end portions of the axles, means adapting each of such members for sliding in the direction of its length to afford, in conjunction with the universal pivoting of such members, a varying relative angularity of the axles for steering purposes, such varying angularlty involving a varying angular relation of the bridging members to the frame, leaf springs seating the frame on the bridging member and laterally constrained by the bridging members to assume varying angular relations to the frame, and means for mounting the frame on the springs affording them the required laterally varying angularity to the frame.

19. In a vehicle, two axles spaced longitudinally of the vehicle, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of elongated members bridged between and universally pivoted on the end portions of the axles, means adapting each of such members to slide in the direction of its length to afford, in conjunction with the universal pivoting of such members, varying relative angularity of the axles, and a latch member pivoted upon each bridging member and nullifying the provision for sliding when in latched position, whereby the angular relation of the axles may be kept constant.

20. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of said frame, a pair of elongated, upwardly channeled members bridging the end portions of the axles, a pair of downwardly bowed leaf springs having end portions fitted in the channels of the bridging members and thereby retained in proper load-transmitting relation to the bridging members, and means for seating the frame on the mid portions of the springs.

21. In a vehicle, two axles spaced longitudinally of the vehicle, a pair of bridging members connecting end portions of said axles and having a sliding provision for varying their span to normally afford a variation of the angular relation of the axles for steering purposes, devices for latching said bridging members against variation of their span, and means for exercising a remote control of the latching devices.

22. In a vehicle, two axles spaced longitudinally of the vehicle, bridging members spanning the end portions of the axles, and universally pivotal connections between the bridging members and axles, such connections to one of the axles each comprising ball and socket elements and one of such elements forming a slideway receiving the corresponding bridging member and mounting it for sliding travel, the span of the bridging elements thus being variable and the axles being afforded a variable angularity for steering purposes.

23. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of the frame, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of elongated members bridged between and universally pivoted on the end portions of the axles, means slidingly adapting each of such members for variation of its span to afford varying relative angularity of the axles, and means for mounting the frame on the bridging members including spring means seating on each bridging member, and elements transmitting load from the frame to such spring means, and means for guiding such elements in a relative arcuate travel about an axis substan tially midway between the bridging elements.

24. A vehicle comprising an elongated frame, two axles spaced longitudinally of the frame, two pairs of wheels, such pairs respectively mounting the respective axles, a pair of elongated members bridged between and universally pivoted on the end portions .of the axles, means slidingly adapting each of such members for variation of its span to afford varying relative angularity of the axles,

and means for mounting the frame on thebridglng members including a pair of leaf springs respectively seated on the respective bridging members and upwardly bowed between their ends, loadreceiving elements secured to the mid portions of the springs, load-transmitting elements secured to the frame, and intermediate elements angularly movable relative to the load-receiving elements to allow tilting of the springs in approximately vertical planes, and movable longitudi-' nally of the frame relative to the load-transmitting elements.

FRANK L. FREEMAN. 

